As NASCAR returns to Pocono Raceway this weekend, many fans are asking the same question: Who won the last NASCAR Cup Series race at the “Tricky Triangle?”
The answer is Chase Briscoe.
Briscoe captured the 2025 Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 22, earning his first victory with Joe Gibbs Racing and securing a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The win didn’t come easy, however. Briscoe had to survive a tense fuel-mileage battle over the closing laps while holding off one of the greatest Pocono drivers in NASCAR history, Denny Hamlin.
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Chase Briscoe Held Off Denny Hamlin for the Win
Pocono Raceway has long been known for producing strategy-heavy races, and last year’s event was no exception.
Briscoe led a race-high 72 of 160 laps but spent the final portion of the race balancing speed with fuel conservation. Behind him was Hamlin, a seven-time Pocono winner who was relentlessly closing the gap as the laps wound down.
The challenge wasn’t simply driving fast. Briscoe had to save enough fuel to reach the finish while still maintaining track position against one of the best drivers the track has ever seen.
When the checkered flag finally flew, Briscoe crossed the finish line 0.682 seconds ahead of Hamlin to score the victory.
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“It was kind of weird,” Briscoe said afterward. “I wasn’t driving hard, so it’s not like I was on the ragged edge, but it was just so hard having a guy chasing you, especially the guy that’s the greatest of all time here.”
Hamlin finished second, while defending Pocono winner Ryan Blaney came home third.
Top-10 Finishers in the 2025 Pocono Cup Race
Why the Victory Was So Important
The Pocono win represented a major breakthrough for Briscoe.
Although he had shown speed throughout the first half of the season, including multiple pole positions, he had not yet found Victory Lane after joining Joe Gibbs Racing. The win finally delivered the result his team had been chasing and guaranteed him a place in the postseason.
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Briscoe called the victory a huge relief after weeks of near misses.
“To finally deliver a win is such an awesome feeling,” he said. “I’ve been telling my wife the last few weeks, I have to win, and so to come here and do it, it is a great day.”
The victory also reinforced Pocono Raceway’s reputation as one of NASCAR’s most unique and unpredictable tracks. Known as the “Tricky Triangle,” the 2.5-mile circuit features three distinct corners modeled after three different speedways, often forcing teams into difficult strategy decisions involving fuel mileage, tire wear, and track position.
With NASCAR heading back to Pocono this weekend, Briscoe enters as the defending race winner and one of the drivers fans will be watching closely as the Cup Series once again takes on the “Tricky Triangle.”
